Only Love
by HeatherLeona
Summary: A simple story of a lost love, the pain it causes, and a new hope. Serena tells her story to Raye.


**Only Love**

Written By: HeatherLeona

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Author's Note: This is roughly based on situations that happened in my life, with facts being changed to fit more in-line with the Sailor Moon story. It's a simple story of a love lost and hopes for a brighter future. I do not own the names of the characters, but the story and opening quote do belong to me.

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Once I was in love

Then death took him away

Now his soul is far above

But in my heart he'll stay.

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"Serena Tsukino. You are twenty-one years old. Why do you insist on turning all these guys away? They're nice, good-looking, smart... Why won't you give any of them a chance? Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life?" I looked away from my best friend Raye's eyes. Her words brought back painful memories and the answers to her questions.

I reached under my bed and pulled out an old shoebox. Removing the lid, I sifted through a pile of letters and old pictures until I found what I was looking for. It was an old photograph taken back when I was sixteen of me and a dark-haired guy. I handed it to Raye. "This is why..." I said.

Raye looked closely at the photograph, then looked at me, her eyes wide and full of questions. "Who is this?" Raye asked softly.

"My love." I stated simply.

"But where is he now? And why haven't I heard of him before?" She questioned.

"Because it's painful to speak of him..." I gazed out the window, pain filling my eyes. "But... maybe it is time I told you. It is a long story. Get comfortable and I will tell you of my lost love.."

I waited while Raye adjusted herself on my bed and then I began my story. "It all started when I was four years old. My family had moved to the United States from Japan. We stayed with my uncle in New York City for about a month and then we moved here. Though our house was beautiful I missed my old home, I missed my friends. My father sensed this, and when we went to church the following Sunday, he introduced my mother and I to a friend of his... and his friends son..."

-Flashback-

"Irene, Serena... this is Mr. Daniel Chiba and his son Darien. They moved here from Japan, too." My father introduced.

"Pleased to meet you." My mother said as she shook Mr. Chiba's hand.

My eyes lowered, I curtsied prettily. "Yes nice to meet you."

I looked up and my eyes locked with a pair of deep blue eyes. The boy smiled at me and I felt myself falling into those deep eyes.

-End Flashback-

"For me it was love at first sight. The boy's name was Darien and he was seven years old, three years older than I. He had dark jet-black hair and beautiful dark blue eyes. His smile made me melt inside. And best of all, he was from Japan, as was I. "I gestured to the picture Raye still held. "That's a picture of Darien and I at the high school homecoming dance."

"Oh..." Raye looked down at the picture. "What happened Serena?"

"I was getting there. Like I said, the story is long..." I looked out the window again, wistfully this time, and then continued on with my tale. "After I met him, I decided he was my prince. You know, like in Cinderella?"

At Raye's nod, I resumed speaking. "I would run around our church trying to kiss him, but he always found a way to get away from me. Then one day I cornered him and I kissed him on the cheek. Our parents saw this and commented on how cute we were together and how we made the perfect couple. I had blushed profusely, but even so, I was overjoyed."

-Flashback-

"Ha! I finally got you!" I smiled as I advanced on Darien. I had him trapped in the corner by the door of our church.

"Serena..." He said as he backed farther into the corner.

Realizing he was stuck, I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Told you I would catch you one day and kiss you!" Smiling I turned away from him to catch our parent's watching us with amused glances.

"Awww, look how cute they are together." My mom teased.

"They're the perfect couple, don't you agree Ken?" Darien's father asked my father.

"Yes, and maybe they'll get married someday." My father replied.

Blushing profusely, I looked at the floor. Secretly, I was smiling inside. I was overjoyed by my finally kissing Darien and by the fact that my parents approved.

-End Flashback-

"Darien and I grew up together. We had always been close and our parents would joke that we would be married someday. Over the years we spent a lot of time together, we went to all the school dances and we had all the same friends. Then, when I was thirteen and he was sixteen, he made our relationship official and asked me to be his girlfriend. It was each of our first relationships. I remember he had said he had wanted to ask me out sooner, but had waited until he felt we were both old enough."

-Flashback-

It was a warm summer afternoon and Darien and I were sitting together outside of my house on the porch swing. Darien was holding my hand as we sat together quietly.

"Serena?" Darien asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes Darien?" I looked up at him prettily from beneath my lowered lashes.

"I have a question for you..." he said.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Would you... be my girlfriend?" He asked me. "I wanted to ask you sooner, but I didn't think either of us were old enough. I love you, Serena. I ask you again, will you be my girlfriend?"

Blushing, I look at him with eyes filled of happiness. "Of course Darien! And I love you too."

"Good." He smiled and reached over and hugged me. I gave him a kiss on the cheek.

-End Flashback-

"He was my first love, Raye. He was the only person I had ever loved and the only person I had ever been attracted to. I still remember out first kiss. I was fourteen and he was seventeen. It was my first kiss in my life and it was the first time he and I had ever kissed. It was raining that day and he had given me a ride home from school. We spent the whole ride to my house talking and holding hands. When we got to my house and I had reached over and hugged him goodbye. When I pulled back, he didn't let me go... and then... he kissed me."

-Flashback-

"Here we are Serena. I will call you later, okay?" Darien said as he pulled his car up to the front of my house.

"Of course it's okay!" Smiling I reached over and hugged him. "I'll talk to you later then." I went to pull away from him to get out of the car, but Darien didn't let me go.

"Serena, I love you so much, you know that?" Then Darien reached over and kissed me full on the mouth. It was a soft and gentle kiss and it made me tingle straight down to my toes.

"I love you as much as you love me Darien..." I said as he ended the kiss. Then, reaching over I hugged him again and this time, I kissed him. It was just as sweet and perfect as the first time. Then I pulled back and gathering my stuff, I opened the car door. Smiling, I said, "I'll talk to you later." I got out of the car and walked to my front door. Turning, I looked back to his car, a dreamy smile on my face. I waved to him and then entered the house and listened as I heard his car pull away. It felt good being in love!

-End Flashback-

"Oh Raye, it was the sweetest thing. I still remember it like it was yesterday. We went out for about five years... and each moment we spent together was magic. In those five years my love for him grew and knew no boundaries. He became my lover as well as my boyfriend and true love. It was already known to our families that we would be married. In fact, it was planned that I would wed after I completed school."

"Wow, Serena..." Raye said with wonder.

I continued, "He left for college a month after he turned eighteen. It was two years after we had officially been going out. He was going to school in Massachusetts, but yet while the distance kept us apart, we grew closer than ever. We spoke on the phone once a week and wrote long e-mails or letters to one another. When he came home in the summer we made every moment count. We were so in love with one another and he would tell me and show me how much he loved me in so many ways. I loved him more than life itself. On our third-year anniversary, he proposed to me, making the knowledge that we were getting married a reality. He promised me a lifetime of love and a future together filled with happiness."

-Flashback-

It was around eight o'clock at night and Darien and I were at the park, sitting on a picnic blanket. The stars were shining brightly above us and the moon hung over us as if blessing our union. We had just celebrated our three-year anniversary with a picnic under the stars. I was sitting there leaning against Darien, and listening to the sounds of the nightlife.

"Serena..?" Darien asked.

"Yes, Darien?" I asked, contentment dripping from my voice.

Darien stood up and then got down on one knee in front of me. "Serena..."

My eyes went wide with shock. "Darien?"

"Serena, I love you, my darling." He took a small black box out of his jacket pocket and opened it. Turning it so that I could see what it was, he asked, "Serena, will you marry me? Will you be my wife? It won't be for a while yet, but I want to give you something to look forward to. I want you to know we will definitely be married some day in the future." Looking up at me with hope in his eyes, he continued, "I don't have much to offer you right now, other than my love, but I can promise you a lifetime of love and a future together filled with happiness... with laughter. I love you so much Serena, and I would love for you to be my wife. Will you marry me Serena?"

Tears of happiness and wonder filled my eyes. "Yes, Darien. I will marry you." I threw myself into his waiting embrace, happier than I had ever been in my life. Darien's proposal was the best anniversary gift ever.

-End Flashback-

"Darien's proposal made me happier than ever. But my happiness ended about two years later. It was about two months before our five-year anniversary and Darien and his parents were on their way home from their skiing trip. I had been invited but I was sick and couldn't go. While his father was driving home, he drove down a nearly deserted street. The street was iced over and when he stepped quickly on the brakes to avoid hitting a stray animal... he lost control of the car... and swerved on the ice... into an oncoming truck. The... passengers of the car... all died... instantly... or so we were told..." I was now sobbing as I told Raye the tragic memories that lied in my past.

Raye came over and put her arms around me. "Serena... it's okay sweetie..."

"Raye. Let me... finish." At her nod, I finished the story. "I was eighteen at the time. It was only three years ago." I continued to cry. "To me, it felt like... the end of the world. I wanted to die too. I begged God... to let me die too... so that I could be with him. I pushed everyone... away... my friends especially... because they were... his friends. It hurt... it hurt so much. I swore I would never... love again. Slowly I moved on... I found some new friends... because by that time my old friends had left me behind... but I got over losing them... because I realized... I had found REAL friends... people who accepted me, faults and all... and I decided to live instead of die."

"Serena..." Raye whispered as she stroked my hair.

"My heart still isn't healed... although everyone says it should be. I still long to have Darien hold me in his arms... and kiss away my tears. I never even got to say goodbye... or to tell him I loved him... or to tell him... we were having a child... a girl... I was waiting for him to come home to tell him..." Sobbing harder I buried my face in Raye's shoulder as she put her arms around me.

"What... what happened to your... daughter?" Raye asked hesitantly.

"I... I miscarried two months later... about a week... after what would have been... our five-year anniversary. The doctor... said... it was because... of my grief... and the stress I was under..." I raised my head from Raye's shoulder and pleadingly looked into her eyes. "Raye, I can't fall in love again... I just can't..."

We sat in silence for a few moments, until my tears had subsided. Then Raye broke the silence, "I understand how you feel Serena... but don't say you will never fall in love again... you don't know that." Raye hugged me fiercely, "And you had better remember that no matter what happens I'm here for you."

Looking into my best friends eyes, I realize that what she has said is the truth. Maybe I would fall in love again. You never know, it COULD happen, right? But yet I knew in my heart, my love for my lost Darien would be with me forever. Maybe I would fall in love again... but I would never, ever, forget my first and only love... Darien.

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Fin

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All questions, comments, reviews are greatly appreciated! Let's me know what people think of my work and what to improve when next I write a story.


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